As the mother of three kids, the grocery store quickly becomes an integral part of your life. You get to the know the fast aisles, the days for BOGO and you recognize the guy who bags your groceries. I’m usually in a hurry, running in between work and rushing to grab my  kids from school. There’s a man who bags my groceries pretty frequently. His name is James. After meeting James, I could tell that he was very special. When we’d walk to my car, I’d ask him about his day or what his weekend plans were. He always told me how much he was looking forward to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, how many days until it opened, and when he was going to be attending (and how he planned to get there on the bus.) When October came, and I knew Halloween Horror Nights was up and running, I would ask him how it was. He would always tell me how much fun it was, and his countdown would begin again.

I started looking forward to these little chats, thinking how I admired James and the joy he found in this one special night. The show, the scares, the lights; it fascinated him and his passion would pull me in too.

In many ways James reminded me of my own son. My 13-year-old son is also special, and has had many MANY passions/obsessions over the years. When my son was into something, no matter how obscure, I would find myself searching to the ends of the Earth (and a lot of eBay) to try and find something, ANYTHING, that could possibly bring him that same joy. I’d get friends and family in on my hunts. When he was into the heights of the tallest buildings in the world, a friend visiting Dubai brought him back souvenirs from the Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building). When he was obsessed with watching (and performing) “Make ‘Em Laugh” from Singing in the Rain, my aunt had a doll made to mimic the one in the famous dance so that he could use it as a prop. When he became charmed by a YouTuber, and talked about him incessantly, I basically stalked the guy on Twitter just to get him to wish my son a Happy Birthday (he did). Whenever he received one of these unique gifts, he always nodded in appreciation. It was never the over the top reaction I had hoped for. It would break my heart, as I wanted others who helped find these treasures to know what they meant to my little boy. Now as a more veteran mom of that special boy, I’ve come to appreciate the subdued thank yous, and I can always tell how happy he is, once given the time to process.

As a mom who has been desperate to connect with her own son, I saw James in a different way than I would have 13 years ago. I saw a sweet, innocent man, who was happy to talk to customers about his favorite thing in the world, Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). As fate would have it, my friend Patrick is the creative development show director for HHN. I told him all about James, and asked if he could hook him up with a t-shirt or something. Patrick didn’t hesitate to bring me a box of pretty incredible, and totally creepy, goodies just for James. He included a handwritten note, thanking him for coming to HHN, and hoping to see him next year “in the fog.”

I couldn’t wait to give it to James. As I approached Publix, I started to get nervous. What if James wasn’t into HHN anymore, what if I embarrassed him, what if he wanted nothing to do with it? I arrived, creepy box in hand, and made my way up to the customer service desk. I didn’t even know how to explain what I was doing, so I sheepishly said “Do you know a man who works here named James? I have this box of stuff for him from Halloween Horror Nights.”

“Oh James LOVES Halloween Horror Nights,” she said. “He’s on a break, he’ll be out in about 8 minutes.”

I stood there, in between the lottery machine and the restrooms, waiting for James to arrive. My heart was beating fast, and I nervously paced back and forth. James, escorted by a manager, approached me.

“Hi, James,” I said “I don’t know if you remember, but you and I have talked a lot about Halloween Horror Nights, and I know how much you love it.”

He nodded in agreement.

“I have a friend who works there and he gave you this box of really neat stuff.” I said as I opened the box to show him.

He took a peek inside the box.

“That stuff is pretty creepy looking.” I said.

He laughed.

“I’m going to Universal Studios in 5 weeks for Mardi Gras,” he said.

“That sounds fun.” I said, anxiously reading his face to see if he was happy.

As he peered into the box he excitedly repeated “Thank you, you’re welcome- thank you,  you’re welcome.”

He closed the box and asked his manager to keep it safe until he got off his shift at 7:00.

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“Yes.” he said

I asked him if I could have a hug. He obliged.

I walked back to my car and I cried. I don’t know if that gift left me or James more in awe, but I do know I’ve seen that look before, and I can’t wait to help James countdown to October again this year.

Samantha Taylor is a wife and mother of three kids, one with special needs. After working for non-profits for several years, Samantha now works for the family business, publishing local lifestyle magazines in central Florida. In her free time she enjoys cheering for her beloved Florida Gators, sharing her love of old movies with her children, and blogging for Kveller.com, GrokNation, and her new blog, Thespecialmoms.com.